COACH ON CALL
Weight: Getting a Handle on Portions
“It was great to talk with you.
Thank you for your interest in ‘Getting a Handle on Portions.’
I hope you find this tip sheet helpful.
Please give me a call if you have more questions about this or other topics.
As your health coach, I’m ready to help in any way I can.”
What does a teaspoon of margarine look like? How
about a half-cup of pasta?
Health experts consider those amounts to be one
“serving” of those foods. But most Americans don’t
know what that much looks like. Most of us eat more
than we think we do.
Seven Ways to Size Up Your Servings
The best way to know exactly how much food you’re
eating is to weigh and measure foods. When a food
scale or measuring cups aren’t handy, you can still
estimate your portions. Remember:
3 ounces of meat is about the size and thickness of a deck of playing cards.
A medium apple or peach is about the size of a tennis ball.
1 ounce of cheese is about the size of 4 stacked dice.
½ cup of ice cream is about the size of a racquetball or tennis ball.
1 cup of mashed potatoes or broccoli is about the size of your fist.
1 teaspoon of butter or peanut butter is about the size of the tip of your thumb.
1 ounce of nuts or small candies equals one handful.
Continued on next page…
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Weight: Getting a handle on Portions (continued)
COACH ON CALL
2
Take Action
Another “handy” way to judge how much you eat is to
use your hand.
1. Measure the foods below in the amounts given. Use
measuring cups, measuring spoons, and a food
scale.
2. Compare the amounts above with the parts of your
hand below. Fill in the blanks.
■■
■■
■■
My thumb tip (from the knuckle to the end) is
the size of ___ teaspoon(s).
My entire thumb is the size of ___
tablespoon(s).
My cupped hand holds:
■■
1 teaspoon of soft margarine
■■
1 tablespoon of salad dressing
❍❍
____ ounce(s) of nuts
■■
1 ounce of nuts
❍❍
____ ounce(s) of chips or pretzels
■■
1 ounce of chips or pretzels
❍❍
____ cup(s) of chopped fruit or vegetables
■■
½ cup of chopped fresh fruit or vegetables
½ cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
❍❍
____ cup(s) of ready-to-eat cereal
■■
■■
1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal
■■
3 ounces of cooked fish, poultry, or meat (Remove skin, bones, and visible fat.)
■■
■■
My clenched fist is the size of ___ cup(s).
My palm (not including fingers) is the size of
____ ounces of cooked fish, poultry
(no skin or bones), or meat (no bones).
Source: Information provided by the University of Pittsburgh Obesity and Nutrition Research Center (grant DK046204
from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases).
Copyright 2012 UPMC Health Plan, Inc. All rights reserved.